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Historical
Background
Yew Tee Zone 5 RC web page was launched on 11th October 1998, by Mr Yeo Cheow
Tong, then Minister for Health and Minister for Environment, and Member of Parliament for
Hong Kah GRC, in conjunction with the official opening of Zone 5 RC Centre at Blk 549 and
the Cosy Corner at Blk 545.
Yew Tee Zone 5 comprises of blocks 523 to 552. There are about 1,400
household living in about 350 units of 4-Room flats, 600 units of 5-Room flats and 450
units of Executive Apartments in this zone. There is also a neighborhood park and a
shopping centre in this vicinity, namely Limbang Park and Limbang Shopping Centre
respectively.
Yew Tee Zone 5 Residents' Committee was formed on 1st
December 1994, under the name of Choa Chu Kang Zone 16 Residents' Committee,
under the care of Assoc Prof Low Seow Chay, Member of Parliament for Chua Chu
Kang. After the General Election in January 1997, the name of this
Committee was renamed as Yew Tee Zone 5 Residents' Committee, currently under
the care of Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, now Minister for Transport and Member of Parliament for Hong Kah
GRC.
Source : Choa Chu Kang - from "Kampong" to New Town,
1986 (National Archives of Singapore)
The name "Choa Chu Kang" is derived from the word
"kang chu". In the late eighteenth century or the early nineteenth
century, the Sultan of Johor allowed the Chinese immigrants to plant "ganmi" and
pepper along the river bank. These immigrants were called "Kangchu" - the
work "kang" means river and "chu" is the clan name of the first
headman in charge of the plantations in the area.
Choa Chu Kang became a small rural Chinese district. It was
a diverse area with old kampong housing and rubber plantations. Residents had to
depend on boats or bullock carts for transportation. Among the few villages which
sprang up were Kampong Belimbing and Kampong Choa Chu Kang. Interestingly, most of
the inhabitants belong to the Teochew dialect group. The early Teochew settlers were
mainly farmers growing "ganmi" and pepper. The Hokkiens, who moved in
later, established pineapple, rubber and coconut plantations as well as vegetable farms
and poultry farms.
In the early days, the area was infested by tigers.
The last tiger of Singapore was shot here in the 1930s.
The old attap houses, street hawkers and Chinese kampongs
have since disappeared from Choa Chu Kang. Today, Choa Chu Kang is being developed
into a modern housing estate with ample community and recreational facilities.
Story by ADELE ONG appeared on 9 July 2000 in
"The Sunday Times".
Only a couple of decades ago, Choa Chu Kang was
regarded as an inaccessible part of Singapore, home to fish farms and cemeteries.
These days, it's home to a growing community of young families.
Choa Chu Kang is easy to reach now, with an MRT
station, the LRT, a bus interchange, and expressways. It's also an up-and-coming
residential area. New condominiums and HDB flats are springing up, as are spanking
new retail outlets.
This, however, is just its latest incarnation.
It's a place that has gone through many metamorphoses.
In the beginning ... ...
It was first put on the map, so to speak, as a
collection of little farms. When mostly Teochew Chinese immigrants arrived on
Singapore's western shores in the late 18th century, they got the Sultan of Johor's
permission to plant pepper and ganmi by the river in the Choa Chu Kang area.
Apparently, these immigrants helped to create the
"chu kang" used in some Singapore place names - "kang" referred to a
river, while "Chu" was said to be the clan name of the first headman in charge
of the plantations in these areas.
Next, it grew into a rural Chinese district of
kampungs and rubber plantations. Later Hokkien immigrants established pineapple and
coconut plantations, along with vegetable and poultry farms. Attap houses and street
hawkers, bullock carts and river boats soon abounded, and Choa Chu Kang was on its way.
It was also a dangerous area where wild tigers posed a
threat to people and domestic animals. Among wildlife conservationists, Choa Chu
Kang still has a dubious reputation as the place where supposedly the last wild tiger to
roam free in Singapore, was shot dead in the early years of the 20th century.
Not so rural anymore ...
...
Today, the only "tigers" one finds here are
striped domestic cats and children wearing tiger masks in playgrounds. Of course,
the Singapore Zoo is a very short drive from this district, so residents who are really
nostalgic for the old days can hop into a taxi and admire the stripy big cats from a safe
distance.
Many young families are moving into this fast-growing
town. Six primary schools and four secondary schools cater to their children.
A library, the Lot 1 Shoppers' Mall and community centre encourage recreational family
togetherness. A sports stadium is almost ready, and a golf club is being built, so
more leisure activities will be available soon.
Residents with a penchant for getting close to nature
and back to basics love it here, because Choa Chu Kang is close to the Sungei Buloh
sanctuary and the Jurong Bird Park, Fish farms still thrive here, although these are out
of the way. On the whole, residents appreciate this place for being less congested
than most living areas in Singapore.
They also find that being so close to Johor makes it
easy to pop across the Causeway for a shopping trip. Those who drive to work like
having the BKE to zip onto, while those who don't enjoy a direct MRT line from home to the
heart of town.
Shape of things to come ...
...
Because Choa Chu Kang is a new residential town, most
of its HDB flats have modern designs, and look like condominiums. These blocks of
flats feature underground carparks too, resulting in better-looking surroundings.
More flats, condos and retail outlets are being built, so the place promises to grow
livelier and more convenient to live in.
The town council has a vision for Choa Chu Kang: that
it should become "a choice residential district with attractive amenities and
recreational areas". It looks like this vision will soon become reality - Choa
Chu Kang has yet to see its final incarnation.